An F/A-18E Super Hornet and an E-2C Hawkeye launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Petty Officer 3rd Class Terence Frank Deleon Guerrero
The Naval Brief: Del Toro hearing; shipbuilder layoffs; carrier retrofit; and more...
Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.
Secretary nominee makes no waves at hearing. Carlos Del Toro told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that he supports a 355-ship Navy and will focus on the China threat and the defense of Taiwan if confirmed, all things the members seemed to want to hear from the former surface warfare officer. “Great, that’s great. I like those answers,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, said to Del Toro’s response supporting the Navy's development of scenarios to deter China from invading Taiwan.
Potential shipbuilder layoffs. Without a multi-year order of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers within the next two years, Bath Iron Works in Maine warned Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks that they may have to cut 2,500 workers, Defense One reports. The company said it needs orders for at least 15 ships, starting in 2023 to be able to keep experienced workers on until it builds the Navy’s next destroyer, the DDG(X).
F-35s to fly from TR. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is heading to its new homeport in Bremerton, Washington, this Friday for maintenance and to be retrofitted to work with F-35Cs, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. The maintenance could take up to 18 months and will include an upgrade to the ship’s self-defense system.
Sign up to get The Naval Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On this day in 1942, the fleet minelayer USS Terror was commissioned. The ship participated in Operation Torch, the Battle for Iwo Jima, and the Okinawa invasion before being struck by a kamikaze in 1945.
From Defense One
Danger from China ‘Clear and Present Already,’ INDOPACOM’s Top Intel Officer Warns // Caitlin M Kenney: Rear admiral urges Washington policymakers to take Beijing's threats more seriously.
Impersonations of Military Members on Social Media On the Rise, New Report Says // Patrick Tucker: Be skeptical of that admiral who just asked you out on Twitter.